starmark | IC Inbox | prismatica

[The portal opening to reveal the pair of Jotaros catches the attention of both dhampir. Still in pain, Adrian turns his head and looks, his brows knitted. He can't hide this.

Jojo. The standing Adrian with the more red tinted eyes approaches, confident in his victory. He did all of this, just to be with you. Sounds a little mad, doesn't it? Like someone else.

Perhaps too confident in his victory. Despite lacking his arms, Adrian pushes himself to his feet, launching himself at his copy. Legs hook around hips, and Adrian is tearing at flesh with his fangs alone. It's vicious, frantically ripping apart his doppelganger until he's leaning his head back, ripping the heart out from his copy, clutching it in his mouth.

He bites down, the organ destroyed, his copy killed.]

No — !

[It's the imposter Jotaro who screams, unexpectedly, lurching forward toward the portal before abruptly jerking to a halt again in his own horror at the bloodbath as it unfolds. It's strange, somehow, to contemplate. Was he watching the death of his own Adrian, just then? Or was he simply more affected in some capacity by seeing death claim any Adrian at all, regardless of relationship to him?

No answer comes. It's too late to matter. The less feral of the two tears his counterpart to shreds, and as quickly as that, it's all over.

Suddenly, the two Jotaros are left to look at one another, faced suddenly with the confirmation of their worst nightmares, courtesy of the doppelganger vampire's last words. He did all of this just to be with you. Adrian did this. Adrian is the source of all of this.

An understanding is shared, in abrupt and sudden silence. Then, as one, the two of them unhesitatingly leap through the portal while it's still open, landing together in the little workshop where one body lies dead and another rests maimed.]

Adrian...!

[And for a few seconds, it's impossible to tell which Jotaro is which; one falls to his knees at Adrian's side and lifts his body to lean against him for support, while the other digs his already-stained fingers into one of his dripping wounds and encourages the bloodflow to resume.]

It's okay, Adrian I'm here, it's okay It's gonna be okay C'mon, open your mouth Need to heal you up It's all right It's all right Hey, hey, it's gonna be all right —

Jojo...

[He isn't sure what to do for a moment, gazing at both of them. In any other circumstance, he wouldn't largely be upset about being tended to by two Jotaros, but considering matters at hand it's disorientating.]

I can fix it. I just... I need a bit of chroma. [And blood. So he can regenerate his arms and all. But more importantly, he needs chroma.]

I'm sorry. Just be patient.

[It's only natural to assume that he's talking about his wounds. What else would he be thinking about fixing? It's the only thing Jotaro and his doppelganger are thinking about fixing, moving in perfect and utterly unintentional synchronization for this one — and only — unifying goal.]

Shh. Open your mouth.

[So says the one behind him, holding him tighter; it feels wrong to touch him when he's this injured, but that's the paradox of chroma, isn't it, that the more intimate the touch, the faster it can help heal.

The other crouches at his side, shucking off his hat and leaning in to bring Adrian's mouth close to his head wound, chosen solely because of how profusely it's bleeding, and coaxing the dripping blood onto his lips.]

Come on, Adrian. Drink. It's okay.

[Slowly, he lets himself rest against one Jotaro, welcoming the comfort and the chroma. He looks at the other one, then opens his mouth. His tongue slides out, catching the blood, eagerly lapping at it. The combination helps, revitalizing Adrian slowly.

He licks his lips, trying not to think about how he tastes himself, how there is a corpse of himself just a few feet away. Closing his eyes, he grunts as he starts to work on healing his limbs.]

I'll be all right.

You're fine. You're gonna be fine. I'm here I'm here. You're gonna be fine.

[The whole world is hell outside — in some places literally — but he can't bring himself to care. Kakyoin will take care of himself, he always does. Kakyoin isn't bleeding out with no arms right now, even with a healing factor in play to prevent it from being a fatal blow.

There's blood in Adrian's hair. The Jotaro behind him doesn't care, mouthing kisses against the side of his head, encouraging the chroma flow. The one he's feeding from pulls back after a long minute, then moves in and kisses him outright, unmindful of his bloody mouth or whose remains are lingering on it.]

Is that better? Is it working?

[There's a soft whine from Adrian at the affection. Not that it isn't appreciated; it's certainly helping, and he does need the chroma desperately, but he also knows he needs to regain control of the Corridor somehow.

He closes his eyes, accepting the kiss. It's slow, but his arms are regrowing, even if it's a bit horrific to watch. At least he isn't losing anymore blood.]

It's working. I'll heal.

Let me... let me get closer to the opening. I'll fix this, Jojo.

You can close it...?

[It's a monstrosity to watch, but it's not as though he's never seen a vampire regrow his limbs before (either of them). It's easier to just stay focused on Adrian, to touch and soothe him on the pretense of helping him build chroma, even knowing all the while that the world is falling apart around them outside.]

Shut up, let him heal. He's more important right now.

He has to — we have to close it. Every time one of those portals opens, more of those things get out...!

I can control it. I just need time!

[It's a foolish venture, and there's even a part of him that knows it. There are more gates opening, when he'd only meant for the one. Control lost, through what? Because of the addition of chroma, or because of himself and his own fears?]

I need to be close enough is all. I can make this work, Jojo.

You did all of this just to be with me.

[It's the doppelganger who gets it first, who recalls the other Adrian's taunting and fits the pieces together into a proper, coherent whole. These portals, this madness — if it had worked, it would've given Adrian a controllable gateway anywhere he desired, wouldn't it? And if it had worked, then he could've slipped through it himself, could've ensured that wherever he went after this, that it wasn't Wallachia.

But what a cost, in exchange for that singular benefit. It's a cost that one of the Jotaros can't ignore.

But only one.]

I'll help you. We'll make it work.

You don't think it's already fucking too late for that?!

Don't listen to him. We can do it. I'll give you all the chroma you need.

[It's a temptation, to follow through with the one that reassures him that they can do it, that they can control it and get Adrian to where he wishes -- or rather, where he doesn't want to be.

But it is indeed that manner of selfishness that makes it clear who is his Jotaro, and who is not.

So Adrian turns to look at the one behind him, the one holding him, kissing his head despite the mess he is. He can feel the burn of tears in his eyes.]

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

I know you didn't mean it.

[Which is not precisely the same thing as it's not your fault because, well, it is. It's Adrian's obsession that led to this, his brilliance and his anguish and his fixation, and maybe that makes it Jotaro's fault for not seeing that he was heading down this road sooner, but the fact of the matter is, this is where they are now, and there's no place to go but forward.

But the other Jotaro, it seems, doesn't like being looked away from. Doesn't like losing to his double. He'd moved in front for a reason, subconscious or otherwise, and so he's quick to reach and press a hand against Adrian's neck, trying to coax his attention back.]

You don't think he can do it. You say you love him and then you don't even believe in him, what the hell is wrong with you?!

Because this isn't right!

It's not right for him to be with us?!

Not like this!

So you'd rather let him go back there. You'd rather let him go back to being alone than fight to keep us together!

[Around Adrian's middle, Jotaro's arms tighten, and when he finally does speak, it's a snarl through clenched teeth.]

And you'd rather let him become his father. Destroying the world for love.

[And isn't that what Adrian has feared all of this time? That his love would sink into obsessive levels, not unlike Dracula. To be so devoted that he could not live for anything else but love. Adrian's shoulders shirk for a moment, then he looks up at Jotaro's doppelganger.

It hurts. No, he hadn't meant for this, but it doesn't excuse anything. If he was really so confident, why didn't he tell Jotaro to begin with? Or Kakyoin? Instead, he kept it a secret, because he knew it was dangerous.

And he did it anyway, because of his own fears.

Finally, he speaks to the other Jotaro.]

If you love me... then help me do what is right. Not for what I want.

You aren't him.

[It's strange, really. Even amid the quiet superiority inherent in the doppelganger's features, even beyond the the pride and lofty arrogance, there's still adoration reflected in his green eyes. He still fervently, desperately, genuinely loves Adrian, so much so that it goes to the very core of what he is.

The hand on his neck slides up to cup Adrian's face by the jaw, and he bends forward, kissing him softly again.

Murder his double in cold blood? He'd do it without batting an eye. But refusing Adrian anything he asked for...that's another story entirely.]

I promise. You aren't him. We can fix it.

[It's a terrible echo of what he'd insisted before, only this time his eyes are wet.]

Don't cry, fussyfangs. I'll help you make it right. I'll help you make this stop. We'll find another way to be together, I promise.

[It's such a strange thing, these doppelgangers. Did Adrian hate himself so much that he was willing to hurt himself, reveal the truth to Jotaro? Or did he do it in such a way because he knew he had to? And no matter what... no matter what, Jotaro loves him.

Even if he'd done something terrible.

You aren't him. Adrian hopes that is true.]

Both of you... help me get closer to the main gate. I'll need to concentrate on trying to close it and nothing else.

Don't let go of him.
Yeah. Here, you take him and I'll get up.
Hang on, Adrian. Gotta move you around a little.

[Carefully, in perfect tandem, the real Jotaro transfers hold of Adrian into his doppelganger's arms, then wobbles to his feet on the blood-slick floor and bends to take him back again, ensuring that contact with one of them is never broken. Then it's the doppelganger's turn to get to his feet, and together, they slowly move Adrian back to the circles drawn on the ground, nudging scattered books and fallen refuse out of the way as they make their way to the gate.]

Tell us what you need us to do.
We'll be right here. We won't go anywhere.
...Well. I will, probably.

[At that, the doppelganger hesitates, his features clouding just briefly as he glances back toward the corpse of the other Adrian, heartless and lying forgotten in a pool of his own blood.]

I'm not the one you're going to keep.

I just need you both to hold onto me. I need chroma for this.

[It means also that his arms stop regenerating for now, stopping just at his wrists. He'll deal with the rest later, but for now he needs to spend his chroma on the Infinite Corridor and closing the mess he's made.

The way Jotaro's doppelganger looks at the corpse of the other Adrian makes him wince guiltily.]

...I'm sorry for what I've done. Not just to everything, but to you. Even if you aren't mine, it pains me to know I've hurt you.

The more intimate the contact, the more you'll get, right?

[The real Jotaro moves to more securely support Adrian, wrapping his arms around him from behind again, burying his face into the back of Adrian's neck. They're the same person, himself and his doppelganger, only with wildly different priorities. It's why he knows what's coming; it's what he would do, too, if reason and conscience weren't around to get in his way.

Gently, the doppelganger brings his forehead to touch against Adrian's, stroking his fingers down his newly-regrown forearms, but stopping short before they reach the still-severed wrists. No sense in dwelling on that now.]

Adrian — I'm gone either way. So before that thing takes me back, I want you to drink from me. Take too much, for once. Then I won't have to be sorry about leaving you. You'll still have all of me I could give.

But that-- I'll kill you.

[The idea is horrifying to him. He's never taken so much that he's killed a person before, and he would never do that to Jotaro. Even if it's not his Jotaro, the idea makes him feel colder than usual.]

You're asking me to kill you.

...No. I was asking you to spare me — from having to find out whatever happens when those portals close up, and I don't belong here anymore.

[The doppelganger smiles ruefully, then presses a kiss to Adrian's forehead and draws back a step.]

But you're right. That's the easy way out. And I...can't do that to you.

[He ducks his head, then shifts to wrap his arm around Adrian's, joining the real Jotaro to double the chroma generation.]

I won't do that to you. So whenever you're ready...I am, too.

[For a moment, Adrian is quiet, his eyes closing as he takes in the chroma. He can't help but weep softly, pressing his face into the doppelganger's shoulder.]

I'm sorry for what I've done. But I will do right by you, if that's what you desire from me.

[With a sob, he sinks his fangs into the doppelganger's throat. The blood will be enough to give him the strength he needs to finish this, to end what he's started. The mess he's made.

And he deserves to hurt for what he's done, nearly losing himself the way Dracula once had.]

[What unfolds then is a spectacle that the real Jotaro will never experience, one only ever considered in hypothetical and fantasy. He watches himself — his own face, his own eyes, his own flesh — as it contorts beneath the piercing razors of Adrian's bite. A sound escapes that identical mouth — a wet, choking gurgle as blood pours down his throat and fills his lungs, even as his head falls back to bare more of the messy wound to Adrian's lips and teeth.

It's not beautiful. It's not romantic. And yet there's something almost beatific in the way his double bends to it, absorbing the pain and giving himself over to it freely.

Unable to help himself, his arms tighten around Adrian. That's him, that's another him, dying in his selfishness and inevitability, unable to sacrifice the world for the person he loved so he'd chosen to sacrifice himself for it instead.

It's slower than having your heart ripped out. It leaves the doppelganger with enough strength to smile at Adrian one last time before his eyes close and his legs fail to hold him anymore.

Jotaro Kujo watches himself die.

So that's what it looks like, he thinks, and shudders.]

[The feeling of draining someone alive like this is both horrifying and thrilling; a sensation that he could see any vampire quickly becoming addicted to, seeking out their prey and drinking them to death. It's hardly a shock to know this; vampires are predators through and through, after all, but to actually experience it firsthand is something else entirely.

And worst of all, to do it to a variation of the man he loves most is absolutely terrible.

Adrian feels the body go limp. His hands finally finish regrowing easily with the amount of blood he has regained and more, so he gently sets the body down. Red stains his mouth and chin, mixed with both his own and Jotaro's doppelganger in hideous poetry.

Finally, with all of the chroma and blood, he focuses on the Infinite Corridor. To close the horrors he's opened up. He tries to think of that, to do the right thing.

But he is flawed. He is horribly flawed, either by being too much of a beast or too much of a human, he isn't sure. Maybe both, maybe neither. But he still desperately wishes to escape his awful fate of Wallachia.

For a second, the opening to the Corridor changes. It is a small modern Japanese town that Jotaro may recognize. In a park, a boy with short dark hair that just pushes on being curly is trying to keep his composure, but there are clear tears in his eyes as he clutches the hand of an older gentleman.

A man with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail approaches, holding out a plush toy of an orca whale. In Japanese, he asks: Excuse me, did you lose this?

It is a happy reunion between a child and his toy. As the blonde man waves them farewell, and glances over his shoulder.

Adrian stares at himself.]

[And Jotaro stares at — himself.]

Wait...I remember that —

[Of course he remembers it. How many times has he recounted that memory of Jiji, full of frustration and derision? Of course he remembers taking Godzilla to the park, and how he'd set him down for just a minute when something else had caught his attention, and how one thing had led to another, keeping his attention elsewhere, and not on the bench where he'd set his favorite toy down.

There'd been a man in the park. Not watching him, not suspicious or predatory, but just...remarkable. Worthy of notice. He remembers nothing about him, except that he'd been there, and that he'd thought the man seemed both happy and sad at the same time.

Then the realization that Godzilla had been misplaced. The horrible sinking guilt of having been so careless. The ache of loss, born of his own thoughtless actions. How badly he'd wanted to cry, and how hard he'd fought not to.

And then — that man. Blonde like his mother. His voice gentle like her, too. And eyes he didn't recognize back then, but that he'd never mistake for any others now.]

...That was you...

I... suppose it was.

[Though Adrian is just as puzzled, he remembers: he needs to close the gate. Does this mean that somehow he manages to find Jotaro anyway? How is that possible? He wonders, ever confused.

Don't be so impatient, Adrian tells himself from another time and place. Seems to always gets us in a mess.

A piece of advice he doesn't know what to do with.

But Adrian closes his eyes, and focuses on closing the Corridor finally, and the glimpse of his future and Jotaro's past starts to seal.]

IC Inbox | prismatica

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